Two Medical Updates from the Transfusion Ward

So, two medical items of interest.

M. has a bloated stomach area that has not really changed since we first met her. Apparently this can be a sign of Ciliac disease. The doc. suggested a blood test on this. The test on the first one (what, six weeks ago?) was botched, so they tried again with the last blood draw. The results did show a slightly elevated level (of what again, J.?) that COULD mean something. It's strange though. When you look at all other symptoms---I don't see a one that she has. We're advised to schedule a meeting with the appropriate doc (gastro-intestinal?) to follow up.

[NOTE--pardon my memory lapses on some of this. I'm typing over an hour after the call from J. Sure, I could wait for her to post this, but I kind of felt like posting. So there. :-)]

J. called again to say that M. had a slight fever--before the trans. started. She called again to say they discovered an ear infection. What a day! I guess that's the way to catch 'em though, right before they start to hurt or be a real problem.

Transfusion Day

Today J. went in with M. for her trans. It looks like she'll need every three weeks for the time being. I'm on for the next one. I got to spend the morning with G. before afternoon Kindergarten. It was GREAT. With four kids now, we've got to snag every opp. we've got for one-on-one time with any of them. Sure, I did some "adult stuff" during the morning, but we also went out for a doughnut together, wrestled, got water and changed the fish bowl, read a bunch of books, looked at pics from when G. was a toddler, and ate lunch together. It was great.

J. reported in from the hospital. The needle insertion was "normal," meaning M. screamed, multiple attempts to place the line failed, and they ended up going down to Hematology before finally putting it in the opposite wrist. (We put a numbing cream on one hand and one arm this morning. Neither spot worked.) Poor kid. As usual, though, she settled down once the blood was drawn (to use it to get ready for the trans.) and the line was in. The Doc. says we probably won't make it past late winter without putting in a port.

This will make the process a lot smoother for M. (and less time consuming for all.) But we will have to take her in each time she has an infection. Trade-offs, I guess.

What Now?

The waiting has passed. The wondering has passed. The travel has passed. Still, the excitement and emotion lingers. We still find ourselves marveling at M's accomplishments, curious about her future. We are busy every single moment and we have much on our plates in every sphere of our life - work, family, friends. Still, we can't help but wonder...What now?

More than 145 million children still wait for homes. We knew adopting one wouldn't change that number. It would simply change one girl's life forever. But what about the others?

Who will help them? Who will be their advocate? Who will hold them in the darkness? More importantly, who will lead them to the light?

Right now, we're moved to see several families in our church completing adoptions or beginning paperwork to welcome a child home. Seeing children in our church from around the world is like tasting heaven.

Lord, how can you use us to rescue more children? How can we make a difference? How can we help others to do the same?

Portaits

During our holiday visit with family, we decided to do a portrait session with all three generations of women. This was one of the favorite pictures taken of M by herself. What a BEAUTIFUL girl! Yes, we have copies to mail to family far away!